We are having a baby!!
Maternity Leave Fundraising
Greetings Family and Friends!
Torreyanna and I are expecting our baby girl in mid-April!!!
We have been preparing for this physically, mentally, and emotionally for quite some time and are looking forward to a home birth with Torrey’s closest friends, family, and trusted midwife present.
We are asking for your financial help! Torrey will not receive paid maternity leave as a massage therapist and will need to stop working for up to two months. A slight complication came up recently, nothing to be too alarmed with; however, her doctor has requested bed rest as soon as possible. We unfortunately are unable to accommodate this without help.
We are also covering the cost of our midwife out of pocket. Our insurance still covers any emergency hospital visits, all of Torrey’s prenatal care, parenting classes, counseling, and more. It is important to us that she is able to labor successfully. She has attended three home-births (one with the same midwife) and one in-hospital, so she has an understanding of what both scenarios can look like and she chooses to be at home, hands down. With the high costs in the Bay Area, any support from you for this part of our adventure would be so greatly appreciated!
Help us raise money for Torrey's Maternity Leave:
This is our kitty, Merlin
If you'd like to send a check, feel free to send to 2550 Bartlett St. Oakland, CA 94601 Payable to Torreyanna Barley or Nicholas Kanozik.
Updates
Nick
Hi everyone! Since graduating with my masters in 2012, I have been active in music education in the Bay Area. I've chaired the music dept at Oakland School for the Arts for a few years, a 6-12 arts charter school serving 175 students and a staff of 18. It has been so rewarding to guide Oakland's youth toward great things musically. Outside of my day job, I am active as a visual artist, exhibit every so often, and monitor an online art store ...
I was honored very recently to
have my art studio featured on a
PBS documentary about the
neuroscience of creativity and
just sold my first museum piece.
I perform regularly on clarinet,
piano, and have gained an
absolute love for conducting
(just last month I made my
debut at Zellerbach Hall
conducting a 165 musician orchestra, so cool!); I am periodically hired by Cal Performances at UC Berkeley to curate big events promoting music education across CA - particularly focused toward underserved youth. My gig regularly initials organizing education events for big wig folks including Gov. Jerry Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Kronos String Quartet, Yo Yo Ma, Steph Curry, and
randomly, Robert Downy Jr, etc.
I recently invented a light organ that has been presented many times including a collaboration with grammy nom Mason Bates. I am currently working on another instrument set to premiere for an opera that I'm writing. My original plan was to start a PhD program this next year; however after some advice and evaluation of my trajectory both artistically and at home, I've
come to realize I am actually better off without it. Much more
excited to raise a family and fully utilize the connections that I've already made. Woo!
Torrey
My art practice has been in a cocoon state, and I am patiently watching and waiting as the creative juices start to flow again with this beautiful new experience of creating another person. My interest in arts and crafts is growing daily as the weather grows chilly, and I look forward to less physical activity so I can start up my knitting, cutting & pasting, dreaming, writing and maybe even drawing and painting! I still play guitar and sing for myself (and the baby!) and I will be contributing to a new zine starting this Spring, and will include it on my website for subscription. I recently made a Ketubah for friends for their 10th wedding anniversary.
Working as a massage
therapist full time for
the last four years has
proved successful and
rewarding. I work for
a dentist’s office that
offers free chair massage,
acupuncture and nutrition
to their clients. This
allows people from every
demographic to receive
massage, sometimes for
the first time ever. It is always an honor to introduce someone to the benefits of massage, especially when they aren’t focused on “getting their money’s worth”. I have been working at a Spa in Oakland two days a week, which allows me to work alongside other service providers and make new friends, and I also offer in-home table massage to private clients. I love what I do and am so grateful to be able to supply such a needed service to many who may have never thought to try massage, and those converts who are committed to their own self-care.
Massage is physically demanding! Phew! I will do my best to carry on with my schedule as my pregnancy progresses, but am already needing to scale it back.
Nick and I have found a lovely two bedroom home to rent. It is our first stand-alone house, has a huge back yard for our garden, giant separate garage/barn for our art studio, and a hot tub because OMG how did we even find this place?! We are so grateful and privileged to live in Oakland and regularly enjoy the vibrant culture and beautiful nature it has to offer.
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